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So, on Nov. 1 when the professional musicians in the
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra started to play his composition “High Strung,” the 46-year-old says, “It was like a dream come true.”

He was one of three composers whose work was chosen by Kevin Lau, associate composer of the TSO, and composer and conductor
Gary Kulesha
, whose own work “Third Symphony” was performed Nov. 6 and 7 at Roy Thomson Hall.

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What the three composers, including Eugene Astapov and Sophie Dupuis, got to hear is termed a “reading,” at which the orchestra goes through the score for the composer who can suggest different ways for the musicians to tackle the work.

Fifty compositions were entered in the juried contest, says Lau, with three chosen so that each composer would have at least half an hour with the orchestra playing their work a number of times.

“It’s a good idea to reach out to the new music community,” Lau says. “It benefits the composer and also for Peter (Oundjian, artistic director) to see new faces. We are trying to find composers who are under the radar.”

Burak, he says, “has a pretty extraordinary talent. We wanted to give him a chance.”

What Burak learned is “it is one thing to write music and imagine in your head how it will sound, quite another to actually hear how it sounds in an actual performance.

“Hearing the same part done two different ways is very helpful.”

Graduate music student Astapov, 25, has had professional orchestras play some of his compositions while studying at The Juilliard School. Now at the University of Toronto working toward a doctorate in musical arts, Astapov had included a vast array of percussion instruments in his new composition “Ether of Feeling.”

The list includes five triangles, marimba, xylophone, chimes, whip, glockenspiel, vibraphone, cymbals, bass drum, tom-toms and wood blocks, which require three percussionists on stage. Unfortunately, there were only two present that day and they received a thorough workout, constantly changing instruments.

The composition, which has not yet been performed at a concert, is still receiving some tinkering and Astapov was delighted that Oundjian sat beside him during the reading and gave the student “invaluable” feedback.

“I think every composer’s dream is to have his or her music widely played by orchestras,” says Astapov.

“Considering the current economic funding constraints, such opportunities cease to exist particularly for young composers. That’s why the TSO was such a unique and useful experience.”

For Dupuis, 25, who plays the violin, this was the first time she had heard her composition played by other musicians.

“Hearing a piece that you’ve written is the only way to learn about your technical mistakes. For instance, I learned quite a bit about balancing instruments while taking the layout of the orchestra into consideration.”

Her composition “Lullaby” is her master’s thesis for U of T’s doctor of musical arts program in composition.

She admits she was torn between studying medicine or music at university but opted for music, thinking she could always study sciences later. Last year, she won the U of T wind ensemble composition competition with her piece “One Last Thing Before I Go” and has been commissioned to write for the Toy Piano Composers.

Kulesha says this was a chance to find out “who is doing interesting work.”

Most of the scores received by the TSO were from music students or those just graduated, he says, and they were selected in a “blind” process. This process makes Burak’s composition of a traditional classical piece quite surprising, he says.

“He came out of left field. The strings obviously had a lot of fun playing it. I hope that he will follow up.”

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